Woods Ready To Play In Las Vegas, Australia

Sports This Morning - Wednesday briefing

October 2, 1996

Tiger Woods is raring to go. Mentally refreshed after a week of rest at his new Orlando home, the hottest item on the PGA Tour tees it up again today in the $1.6 million Las Vegas Invitational. ''I didn't play or practice,'' Woods said of his first time off since turning pro in August. ''I just rested.'' He won't have much time to rest again. On Tuesday, it was announced that Woods accepted a hefty appearance fee to play in the Australian Open next month, Nov. 21-24.

MORE GOLF: Walter Morgan won the Senior PGA Tour's Shootout Championship, holing a 12-foot birdie putt to eliminate Bob Murphy on the ninth hole of the $500,000 competition in Hot Springs, Va. . . . Matt Kuchar from Georgia Tech won the Tennessee Tournament of Champions in Knoxville. Kuchar, who graduated from Seminole High School last year, earned his third collegiate tournament victory.

Rangers' Gretzky is mmm, mmm good

Wayne Gretzky becomes a little greater this week as the first person to appear on a Campbell soup label. The new Chunky soup label - which hits supermarket store shelves this week - shows the New York Rangers forward in uniform. It also bears ''The Great One's'' signature and his number 99.

MORE NHL: Doug Weight, an All-Star center who led the Edmonton Oilers with 104 points last season, agreed to a 2-year deal for $2.3 million a season. . . . Ottawa and Anaheim swapped four players with the Senators sending center Ted Drury and junior defenseman Marc Moro to the Mighty Ducks in exchange for journeyman defenders Shaun Van Allen and Jason York. Earlier in the day, the Senators announced a series of cuts, including defenseman Chris Phillips, 18, the NHL's top draft pick in June. . . . The Philadelphia Flyers signed left wing Brett Bruininks, 24, to a one-year contract, the team said. Terms were not disclosed.

Back in Germany, Graf wins in Leipzig

Playing her first match in Germany since her father went on trial for tax evasion, Steffi Graf was at the top of her game in routing Kimberly Po, 6-0, 6-1, in the Leipzig Open.

Reggie Miller had every right to be out of breath after his first preseason workout for the Indiana Pacers in Chapel Hill, N.C. With lengthy contract negotiations finalized Monday, Miller breezed through practice to begin his 10th season with the Pacers. ''I am happy to finally have this little deal done,'' Miller said.

MORE BASKETBALL: The Houston Rockets signed second-round draft pick Othella Harrington and veteran forward Matt Bullard. . . . St. John's junior center Zendon Hamilton will be out for six weeks after arthroscopic surgery for inflammation of his left knee. . . . Former Ohio State star Katie Smith, the Big Ten's career scoring leader, signed with the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League.